2/13/2016

Earlier today Paramount Pictures dropped a trio of release dates for upcoming Transformers movies, and the assumption was they were for sequels 5, 6, and 7. What was interesting about them was the annual release schedule, which seemed fast for the special effects heavy action flicks. But now an update clarifies why things seem to be going so quickly, and it's because the middle film is actually a spinoff featuring the Autobots' Bumblebee.

The announcement came during a Toy Fair conference call by Tom Warner, who runs the Transformers franchise for Hasbro. He revealed that Bumblebee will be getting a spinoff movie set for June 8th 2018, with Transformers 6 following in 2019...

“This summer we worked closely with a talented team of A-list screenwriters to map out the future of the Transformers cinematic universe, and as Brian announced earlier, things kick off in a major way in 2017 with the release of Transformers 5 in June. And we’re working on a spin-off movie centered around Bumblebee for 2018 and the next chapter for 2019.”

That date puts it up against Gareth Edwards' Godzilla sequel, making for a showdown that could hurt both films. So far there's no word on a writer or director for Bumblebee's solo adventure, but it should be easy to write since he doesn't actually say anything.

First up is Transformers 5, which Michael Bay will direct (supposedly for the final time) to hit theaters on June 23rd 2017.